Can America s future escape its past?

After the United States' 2016 presidential election, writer Carvell Wallace decided he needed to get passports for his children.

He worried his family would be unsafe in Donald Trump's America. What if they needed to flee the country?

One year later, they're still here. But over that period, he's watched marriages dissolve and family members stop speaking to each other.

One question has been nagging him: Can Americans move forward together? Wallace isn't so sure.

"We're a nation of 320 million people," he says. "And all we know is that we don't like each other very much. Beyond that, we don't know what to do."

In Closer Than They Appear, Wallace decides that the best way to move forward is to turn and face the dark moments in America's history - and on his own.

Along the way, he brings on guests for thoughtful conversations about what it means to be an American, what Americans are fighting for, and what's next for him and for all of us.

The debut episode features Oscar-winning actor Mahershala Ali, who joins Wallace to discuss what it means to be a black man in the US, fatherhood in the time of Trump, and maintaining grace in the face of adversity.